Japan’s Surrender in Andaman Islands

S Balakrishnan
Contd from previous issue
Well before the surrender of Japanese in the international scene, it was decided by the British, as early as in November 1944 itself, that after reoccupation the Islands should initially be governed by military only and that civil administration could be restored after things settled down. In the meantime, a mercy ship arrived at Port Blair on Sept 26, 1945 carrying supplies for the civilians and the POWs.  It was further decided on October 6, 1945 that “Japanese forces in Malaya, the Andaman & Nico- bar Islands and Sumatra were to be collected on Rempang Island in the Rhio Archipelago at the eastern end of Strait of Malacca…”
Repatriation of Japanese troops
The Japanese troops were instructed to move out of the town. Camps were arranged for them at Garacharma and Phargaon, two villages some 10 and 6 kms away respectively from Port Blair. All their arms had been surrendered to the British. They numbered some 18,846 (some 20,000 had landed on March 23, 1942). The Japanese POWs were deployed in manual civil works like road laying, painting, white washing, etc. They were taken from their camps by the British in the morning and returned only in the late evening. As they were not sufficiently fed, they grew tapioca and sweet-potato around their camps. The civilians now had the chance to repay the Japanese in their own coin. The Japanese men were beaten up and mocked at; burnt with cigarette butts and even spat upon. They bore them all without muttering or complaining, said Meerankutti, surprised at their endurance. The British, on hearing this, banned such revenges and said complaints, if any, against the Japanese could be reported to the authorities concerned. On complaints, about 200 Japanese, including some 50 officers, were arrested and taken to Singapore for trials in martial Court. Some civilians also accompanied as witnesses. On their own, the witnesses told stories of the Court proceedings and the hanging of some Japanese for their atrocities in the Andaman Islands. By the end of October 1945 disarmament throughout the Islands had been completed and by February 1946 repatriation of POWs was also almost over.  
Ground Situation in Port Blair
When the British took over, Port Blair town was most unhygienic and distressing; transport and communication facilities had been damaged very badly (of course, by the British attack only). The town was full of filth and dirt - damaged drains, mass of dump and above all the ill-clad, ill-fed and pathetically sick civilians. It was nothing but deterioration & destruction, starvation & death, sufferings & sacrifices ! With all sorts of diseases prevalent, vaccination programme was taken up at once. “For the first six months”, Meerankutti mused, “the civilians were simply fed and there was not much work to do. It was an enjoyable time, with ration given and cinemas screened”. Rightly so because what the harassed civilians very much needed was the healing touch of an angel. He added that a news-reel was shot in the town at the time of reoccupation. The British Government employed as many hands as possible by relaxing rules. Preference was given to those who had served earlier in the British administration. Mr Qadir, who was working as a Clerk in the Public Works Department (PWD) before Japa- nese occupation, re-joined the service and retired as Assistant Commissioner of Nicobar in the late 1970s. Meerankutti worked as a painter and got paid Rs 60 a month. A rough census taken in 1945 by the British for rationing purposes revealed a figure of 18,000 for Andamans Islands alone, as against the 1941 figure of 21,316. Thus, during their 3 ½ years of rule, the Japanese had reduced the population of Andamans alone by more than 3,000. Pre-war evacuation, indiscriminate massacre by the Japanese, starvation & diseases, mental agony and humiliation, all had reduced the population drastically.
Car Nicobar is reoccupied
Car Nicobar Island, the district headquarters of Nicobar Group of Islands, was reoccupied by British troops on October 18, 1945 (9 days after Andamans was reoccupied) after clearing underwater mines and other difficulties too. Due to their unique way of living, the Car Nicobarese had not suffered as much as the Andaman civilians, though many had perished and suffered much. Reportedly, the rehabilitation work here was much easier and rapidly finished than in Port Blair. The other Nicobar Islands were more or less left untouched by the Japanese forces.
Japan’s surrender in the WW-II arena
As WW-II was progressing with series of victories by Japan, the international scene was also changing rapidly. The USA dropped the first ever atomic bomb on Hiroshima city on August 6, 1945, devastating half the city, killing 80,000 citizens and seriously injuring an equal number. Two days later, on August 8, 1945, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria the next day. Three days later, on 9th August 1945, the US dropped the second n-bomb on Nagasaki naval base of Japan, now killing 40,000 people and seriously injuring an equal number. Shaken to the core by this, the Imperial Japanese Government offered to surrender on the 10th of August 1945, “without prejudice to the Emperor Hirohito’s position.” The very next day (11th August 1945), the Japanese Cabinet agreed to “unconditional surrender” on the intervention of Emperor. This was officially announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15th August 1945, and signing of the Instrument of Surrender by his representatives took place on 2nd September 1945, thus officially ending World War-II. The signing ceremony took place aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japanese foreign affairs minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the Instrument of Surrender as American General Richard K. Sutherland watched.
Thus came to an end the 3 years 6 months and 13 days nightmarish rule of the Japanese in the one and only Indian territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands during WW-II.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]